ZAR - Faddy Diets

Following on from my blog last week about Green Coffee 800, the "wonder" beverage which will make you look like a supermodel in 14 days, complete with boob and face lift (sarcasm) ......I read an article in one of my fave Sunday supplements, Body and Soul. It was about celebrity diet dangers. There have been reports that Gwyneth Paltrow had been diagnosed with osteopenia which can lead to osteoporosis in later life. Gwyneth has eaten a macrobiotic diet for 11 years - this high in fibre and low in fat and limits or avoids animal foods.

I very much get on my high horse about gossip mags and refuse to waste my money on them but I'm the first to wrestle one from a pensioner's claws in the doctor's waiting room! More often than not there'll be a story about some poor individual's weight or what the latest trend in Hollywood is for remaining a size zero.

The article I read mentioned the Zone diet, Lemon detox diet, Five Factor diet, Baby Food diet, Meal replacement diets, Raw Food diet, Cabbage Soup diet and Gwyneth's macrobiotic diet.

These diets range from, in my opinion, dangerous to obsessive. (I could be guilty of being obsessive sometimes). The dangers mentioned include iron deficiency, constipation (delightful), nutrient deficiency, fatigue, osteoporosis, stomach cramps and putting on weight in the long term.

There is no magic wand that you can wave and suddenly all the weight you want to lose will disappear. Certainly, different eating plans suit different individuals. As Pose said in her blog last week - some of us will never be a size 8 but look great as a size 12. Be realistic. Eat sensibly, combining a wide variety of food - meat, red and white, fruit, vegies, grains etc. Drink plenty of water and get enough sleep (if our kids allow it!) Limit alcohol and as I love to say, MOVE YOUR BODY!! I beg you not to partake in any diet that promises something too good to be true - it probably is.